At Citizens Advice Manchester digital inclusion is an important part of what we do. We want our advice to be available to anyone in Manchester, whenever they need it. That means exploring new ways of reaching vulnerable clients and looking at how we can innovate to help increase digital inclusion across our region. 

We spoke to Rosa Soares and India Henry, our new Digital Inclusion Officers, to find out about the exciting initiative and what it means for residents. 

Who are you and what are your roles at CAM?
”We’re Rosa and India and we’re Digital Inclusion Officers at CAM. Our role is to help ensure that the people who use our services, our staff, volunteers and partners all understand the benefits of digital, as well as feeling safe and confident online and supported in developing their skills in an increasingly digital world.”

Why is digital inclusion such an important issue in the region?

“Digital exclusion is a huge issue in Greater Manchester, with around 1.2 million people thought to be digitally excluded in the region (576,500 of these living in Manchester alone). Our specific target audiences are those at most risk of digital exclusion, including the disabled and older people, Black African, Black Caribbean and Pakistani communities. The three latter are also groups with the lowest vaccination rates. 

These communities are often referred to as 'hard to reach' but we recognise that in fact they simply need to be reached on their own terms and through channels that they trust and recognise.”

What sorts of work has CAM been doing to help digital inclusion? 
“Last year, we launched a video advice programme to help us reach people during the pandemic. We offered video advice appointments through our website and partnered with community venues to help reach people who otherwise would have been digitally excluded. 

We’re now extending this initiative and embedding video advice into our access and delivery channels and aligning all of our activity with Manchester’s Digital Inclusion Action Plan and Digital Strategy.”

What is CAM’s vision for digital inclusion in the future? 

“Working closely with the community and key partners, we want CAM to better understand the digitally excluded parts of our city with a particular focus on ethnically diverse and disabled communities as it is these groups that have been identified as most at risk of digital exclusion in Manchester.  

We want to improve the reach of the help we offer in order to support people to use digital to overcome other issues they’re facing.”

What are the benefits of more people being able to access digital? 

“This could mean someone being able to access Help To Claim support for Universal Credit, getting help with managing their debts, being confident avoiding scams online, able to choose best energy supplier, able to use home delivery services or source information and support for their health (including vaccinations, as we know that COVID-19 and its aftermath is having a disproportionate impact upon some communities in the city.)”

What have you found most rewarding about your role so far? 

Rosa - “So far, the most rewarding thing for me has been to shadow on Adviceline calls and read about all the success stories. I had no idea that Citizens' Advice offered support with some many issues and I could actually hear and feel how impactful the advice given is for people on the other end of the line. 

It is so rewarding knowing that I work for an organisation that is there for anyone, no matter what their problem is. I moved to the UK on my own three years ago, and there were so many times I felt confused with certain information or wasn't sure of next steps, I wish I knew about Citizens' Advice before. I wouldn't have gone through that on my own.”

India - “The most rewarding thing about my role is the various ways in which we help people. For example, for one person digital inclusion may mean speaking to family/friends, for others it may be learning a new skill online or advancing the skills they already have.”